Agenda item

To consider the report of the Communications & Community Engagement Officer.

The Committee received and considered the report of the Communications & Community Engagement Officer concerning the annual resident’s satisfaction survey results, the town council App, and championing local.

Members were pleased to see several hundred survey responses had been received from residents. They noted there was still confusion over Local Government tiers, and which Council provided services and therefore, the results may be skewed because of this misunderstanding. There were positive comments which were welcome and negative ones which should be addressed, either by the town council through feeding into strategies, or by forwarding onto the relevant authority.

The Committee also considered the relevance of the Town Council App which figures showed was not being utilised in a meaningful way. There was a small number of residents who used it but nothing had been submitted through it for some time and the same news and information was available via the Website, which was largely mobile-friendly. There were seemingly no other town or parish council’s who were using an app and there was no transactional or interactive functionality which could generate further interest.

The report also included suggestions on improving community engagement by championing local sports clubs and organisations, initially through social media but then officially through the committee process.

Resolved:

1.       That, the report be noted and,

2.       That, comments from the survey concerning town council services are addressed directly or by being incorporated into existing strategies and,

3.       That, ‘You Said, We Did’ video shorts with members are published in response to the comments and

4.       That, comments concerning County & District Council’s are filtered and forwarded to the Leader of those Council’s and Members with Cabinet responsibility for those issues and,

5.       That, the Town Council App be discontinued at this time and,

6.       That, as part of the Communications Strategy Review, the website is reviewed to improve access and functionality and,

7.       That, the Town Council highlights and congratulates local sports clubs and organisations through the use of social media and,

8.       That, these achievements be recognised at Full Council under Communications from the Leader and,

9.       That, the possibility of recognising sporting achievements be considered when the Civic Reception/Citizen of the Year Awards are reviewed and,

10.   That, the Press Coverage report and Witney Forum minutes be noted.